Side By Side
by Haley95
Summary: A Moana and Maui romance told in short snippets. Hopefully just a cute oneshot to leave you feeling fuzzy and warm.


Disclaimer: I don't own Moana.

Part 01

Four years after Moana returned to Motunui after restoring Tafiti's heart the island and its inhabitants were greatly changed. The people of Motunui began to voyage once again. Motunui became a home base the people would return to after spending months at sea exploring what the world had to offer. Moana, the next great chief of Motunui, had found her purpose. Her people rarely ever saw her without a smile, and they all delighted in the twinkle in her eyes whenever she returned home from her adventures across the water.

Moana may often be out at sea exploring what the world had to offer, but when she was home Moana was one hundred percent dedicated to her people. As soon as her boat was moored Moana would begin harvesting coconuts, planting new crops, helping make food, or if life was slow mending clothes.

On the rare occasion the next great chiefess stayed in place for more than a week, she would teach the children on the island the wonder of wave finding. Moana would patiently point out all the nooks and crannies of the Miny Moana along with the rest of Motunui's fleet. It was on one of these rare occasions that Maui came to visit.

Moana often spotted Maui flying overhead when sailing off into the horizon, and the demigod was nearly always by her side while she explored the islands she came across. Maui had a way of telling stories about the islands he'd actually been on that had Moana nearly crying in laughter. Their friendship had grown amazingly in the last four years. Sure they still fought and had their differences, but both had a silent agreement that life wouldn't be worth much without the other.

Maui, who was currently transformed into a very colorful parrot, had searched the island for about three seconds before spotting Moana. He nearly laughed when he found her on the shoreline turning Hey Hey away from the tiny lapping waves. The group of kids had no self restraint and were quietly giggling into their hands.

Maui not wanting to interrupt, more like terrified to interrupt, settled near the top of the closest tree. Moana saw him and held in a snort. The last time Maui visited he'd been tackled by the kids who saw him as they all shouted questions at him. Maui had panicked and turned into a half shark and the kids started crying and screaming. Ten seconds later Maui was in the sky and flying away. He now refused to land on Motunui soil with a child in sight.

Moana's class continued for another fifteen minutes before she noticed the kids starting to get antsy with boredom and sent them on their way. Thirty seconds after the last child was out of sight Maui landed and transformed, though he had a peculiar expression on his face. When he noticed Moana's inquisitive look he said, "For one so young you are very mothering."

Moana laughed and replied, "We are not all immortal like you Maui. I would be embarrassed if I hadn't matured at all in the last four years."

Maui seemed to realize this for the first time. Sure on more than one level he knew she was mortal, however the strength and steadiness of their friendship had an unending quality that transferred to his best friend and Maui had quite forgotten in the recent years that his Moana was mortal. Maui shook his head and put those thoughts on hold until he had time to examine them.

Part 02

Two years pass before Maui's thoughts of Moana's mortal status plagued his thoughts again when he notices creases beginning to form around her eyes. The crinkles are evidence of how much she smiles. Maui doubts anyone can clearly remember a time when Moana wasn't seen with a brilliant smile on her face. Moana was made for voyaging, had dreamed about voyaging for years, and was realizing her dream on a near daily basis. Maui almost smiles himself and has the urge to tease the twenty two year old that she's already getting wrinkles, but a bolt of sadness had squeezed his heart before the humor could escape. Moana is mortal and Maui is beginning to wish she weren't. Moana was the first person Maui was finding he couldn't live without. Maui just couldn't see a life without her there by his side.

Part 03

Moana is twenty three when Maui starts noticing the looks the single men around her are throwing her way. Anger rises hotly whenever he catches a man throwing those offencive looks at HIS Moana, and he makes sure they see the threat of death in his eyes when they refocus on the world around them. However, one of the maggots seems persistent and starts to cozy up to HIS Moana. The maggot in question had already warmed Moana's dad to his presence, and to Maui's dismay Tui had begun dropping hints that the maggot would make a good match for Moana. Moana ignored the not so subtle hints her father was dropping, much to Maui's relief. Maui's relieved feelings keyed him in on the fact that his feelings for HIS Moana had changed in recent years. The realization had him fleeing for two straight weeks before he got his head on straight once more.

It was an anxious Maui who returned to Motunui. Thoughts of the maggot winning HIS Moana over in his absence plagued his mind. However, to his immense relief, the maggot had ruined any chance with his girl himself. The maggot didn't know the first thing about sailing and to both his and Moana's amusement was terrified of sailing. Apparently the trash had spent the entire trip here from his island shaking in a small compartment wrapped in a blanket.

When Maui had 'offhandedly' inquired how she had come by this knowledge Moana informed him that the maggot had gotten her alone three days after Maui had gone on his little side trip. Maui vowed to find a way to kill the scum while Moana began to tell him of the horrible attempts of wooing the maggot had tried. Apparently only half an hour alone in the maggots presence had Moana running out to sea. As soon as the Miny Moana was unmoored the creep and run screaming from the boat he'd unknowingly followed her onto. The best part was it was in full sight of both the visitors and Moana's people. The Visitors from Lunati were sniggering to one another, and it wasn't long before they were describing the way the coward had shivered and cried the two day journey to Motunui.

Later on that day when Maui walked past the sniveling coward he didn't even bother glaring the scum just wasn't worth the effort. This fact didn't pass unnoticed by many of the islanders and some of the wiser ones covered their knowing smiles. Tui was one of the wiser but he wasn't smiling. That demigod had a thing for his Moana and he didn't like it, he didn't like it at all.

Sina, Moana's mother, was also one of the wiser and even though she was hiding a smile it was a fragile one. Sina vowed to get Maui alone and have a serious talk with him she had no doubt her darling husband was planning to do the same. However, it was three months before such a talk could take place as both Moana and Maui set sail at dawn the next day.

Part 04

Four months had passed since that fateful conversation Maui had with Moana's parents. Sina's worries had hit him the hardest. She had said, "Maui, Moana is mortal. Don't interrupt I already know you know this. However, what I want you to consider is what will happen as she ages." Maui had already thought of this on his two week stint away from Moana's side. "I am not going to lie and say that I don't worry that one day she will be bitter about my unchanging form while she continues to grow, but ma'am I love Moana enough to know I would rather have her by my side the short time she lives than to separate myself from her and watch her live her life with another. That's if I could stomach hanging around long enough to watch such a thing. I'm pretty sure if she found another to spend her life with my life would seise. My body would carry one without me but my soul would be crushed beyond recognition."

Tui had sighed, and Sina's worried frown became less pronounced. The married couple then looked at each other both speaking to one another with their eyes. An eternity seem to pass before Tui looked back at Maui and said, "Very well, know this demigod or not you hurt her and I will end you."

Part 05

A week later Maui had Moana and himself sailing to the island of Tafiti. A week into their journey a torrential downpour had Moana in a terrible mood. To cheer the young woman up Maui began teasing Moana about her abysmal sailing skills when he'd first met her. Soon Moana's laughter was louder than the rain around them. The young woman could now see the humor having taught many of her people the ancient ways of wave finding. The night seemed to pass without notice as the pair laughed into the dawn as the rain began to clear.

Once the pair had arrived on the island of Tafiti, Maui took Moana's hand and took a deep breath, "Moana of Motunui I am in love with you and want to spend the rest of my days with you." The demigod was looking anywhere but at the young woman and missed the radiant smile that blossomed across her face. Moana's hand on his cheek turning his head to meet her eyes calmed some of the demigod's nerves. "Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and seas, and more importantly my best friend I would love to spend the rest of my life with you as I am in love with you."

The couples enthusiastic kissing was more than distracting for the pair, therefore neither noticed when Moana began to glow the same color green as Tafiti's heart before settling into her rather beautiful, if Muai said so and he did, shade of brown.

Part 06

Married life wasn't all that different from everyday life, except now they participated in activities that would lead to family. Maui and Moana couldn't be happier even when arguing with one another. Maui had planned to enjoy every minute with HIS Moana and so far that plan was going especially well. Ten years in had felt like a blink of an eye for both Maui and Moana.

It wasn't until Moana had run into an old friend that a niggle of something being off hit Maui. At the time neither Maui nor Moana could explain the sensation, but both felt like they were missing some sort of joke the entire time Moana had spent catching up with her childhood friend.

Part 07

Another decade passed before Moana and Maui saw what everyone else had already noticed. The realization that Moana had stopped ageing nearly two decades before came after the people of Motunui were returning from a long voyage. The island of Motunui resources had been to depleted to stay, and the people of the island agreed to leave for five years in the hope that the island would replenish and become bountiful once more. However, five years found Moana and Maui along with three quarters of the returning Motunui clan weeping on the shores of a desert island.

Moana began to weep uncontrollable at the sight of her home laid waste in such a way. As she wept her husband had bent down to take her in his arms. Just as he was about to lift her Maui noticed a green glow beginning to surround HIS Moana. Then suddenly the island began to rejuvenate. Plants began sprouting everywhere and in minutes the island was once more a beautiful paradise it had once been.

Moana had stopped crying at some point, Maui was to shocked at what was going on to notice, and was staring in wonder at the island around her and her hands that had returned to their natural shade once more.

"Maui I think we need to head to the island of Tafiti once more."

Part 08

Tafiti was sitting up and waiting for the husband and wife to arrive. The pair had already seen her in the distance and the ocean began to speed up their journey in anticipation. After a long night of charades with the goddess the married couple got the gist. Moana was Tafiti's daughter gifted to Tui and Sina after they prayed for a child. Tafiti knew Maui was lonely so she had set the entire adventure up centuries before. Not only had she tempted Maui with the power of creation, but she knew Moana would one day join up with him to mend the rift he'd caused. The stone Tafiti carried around in that spiral was just that a stone. The reason she was enraged was due to the fact the man who was destined to steal her daughter's heart seem selfish and arrogant upon first inspection. Therefore, Tafiti became a demon out for his blood until he proved otherwise. Which thankfully Maui had accomplished.

Maui and Moana have a very long life together ahead of them full of adventure, but the one thing that will never change is their friendship that holds them side by side.

End


End file.
